Solar and wind can power Georgia

Solar power is here right now. Georgia is #10 in the nation (up from #22 in 2017)
by solar deployed (1,552.98 MW) and #7 in projected growth,
according to
the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).
That’s ahead of Florida, but still behind much farther north New Jersey and Massachusetts, which have less sun.

Winds blowing off the Georgia coast could provide enough electricity
each year to power the state at current energy use levels, according
to a report released today by Environment Georgia. If Georgia
converted all activities currently powered by gasoline, natural gas
and other fossil fuels (like transportation and home heating) to
electricity, the energy provided by offshore wind turbines could
still produce 70 percent of the power needed to run the entire
state.

Solar power could supply the rest, especially with batteries.

“We’re facing rising seas, intensifying storms, and old and
new health threats — because we’ve relied so long on dirty
energy sources,” said Jennette Gayer, of Environment Georgia.
“But sitting right here next to us is the Atlantic Coast, and
it’s a massive source of totally clean power. Let’s just say
‘thank you, Mother Nature,’ and do what we should have done in
the first place — harness the wind.”

While offshore wind is a proven technology overseas, it has been
slow to take off in the United States. To date, only one wind farm
is operating in the U.S., off the coast of Rhode Island. Meanwhile,
Europe hosts 4,100 offshore wind turbines that supply enough
electricity to power more than 20 million homes each day. But more
American offshore wind is on the horizon: There are now 13 leased
offshore wind projects moving forward in the U.S., which could
provide enough electricity to power approximately 5.2 million homes.

“U.S. deployment of offshore wind is no longer out of reach
— it is a reality that continues to gain momentum all along
the Atlantic Coast,” said Mary Hallisey the Senior Director of
Planning and Operations with Georgia Tech’s Strategic Energy
Institute. “Coastal waters along the southeastern states hold
great potential for offshore wind and we should take advantage of
the opportunity to move forward with this clean energy
option.”…

So far as I know, Georgia Power is still “studying” offshore wind.
The Environment Georgia study indicates the time for just studying is over.

For solar power, there is for sure no need for further study.
We got to #10 due to concerted pressure by Sierra Club, Environment Georgia, WWALS, and many others. It’s time for GWC to join in and help Georgia get on with sun and wind power to shut down all fossil fuel and nuclear plants.

In the end, it may be jealousy that causes the South to take the
plunge. If the Northeast becomes a mecca for offshore wind, the
economic benefits will be worthy of envy. But by then, there’s a
risk that the South may have missed the boat. For while small
components of the supply chain will pop up anywhere offshore wind
develops, the strongest links—the manufacturing of large
components (nacelles, towers, and blades), which are transportable
only by water—will go where the majority of wind farms are, in
Yankee territory.

Wick harbour bosses have been dealt a blow after
Fraserburgh was chosen
to become the operations and maintenance base of Moray
Offshore Renewables Ltd (MORL).

They had been in the running, along with Buckie, to service the
massive new wind farm being developed in the Outer Moray Firth.

Willie Watt, chairman of Wick Harbour Authority, said: “It’s
disappointing news for Wick and Caithness but MORL changed their
strategy for the operations, management and maintenance of their
wind farm and we just couldn’t compete for that. If we had the big
quay which we’re planning to develop, we would have been in pole
position to win the work.”

What did Wick (upper center in the map) in Caithness lose to Fraserburgh (lower right in the map) much farther away in Aberdeenshire?

A north-east town is in line for a boost after becoming the front
runner for a lucrative wind farm project.

Fraserburgh Harbour is the favourite to land the contract for a new
maintenance centre connected to the Moray East Offshore Windfarm.

The centre will play a crucial part in the multi-million pound
project, to build nearly 100 turbines in the Moray Firth.

The deal — which will create dozens of jobs and allow NesCol
to provide specialist training — was last night hailed as a
vote of confidence in the facilities at Fraserburgh Harbour.

Unlike sparsely populated and remote Caithness (the most northerly
county on the mainland of Britain),
Georgia has plenty of port and other facilities on its coast.
So it’s pure lack of political will that is leaving Georgia
and the southeast behind the U.S. northeast in wind power.

Solar and wind power continue to dominate new electric power deployments.
Georgia and Florida can either get on board or be left behind.

-jsq

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